Flaxen on champagne?

[Raikit]

So I have this horse:

Night Raid


I know he's champagne but is he also flaxen or are the light mane and tail caused by something else? Only confused because I've never seen flaxen on a champagne before.

[Scythian]

He's beautiful!

The following is information -- I don't claim it's conclusive.

"Flaxen" means a chestnut (red horse, dark skin, no black "points") with a lighter mane and tail. In this game, flaxen shows up often on Foundation (Adoption Centre) Shetlands and Belgians. Saddle ("light" build) horses may also have this. Here's a link to a Flaxen Chestnut Foundation Shetland: http://www.horseworldonline.net/horse/profile/183853

WIth Flaxen Chestnut as a base, dilutions can get interesting. This horse (link at end of paragraph) is a Belgian; he has Champagne + Cream on Flaxen Chestnut. He also has the lightening effect "Mealy" or Pangare" on his muzzle, lower body, and upper legs. His color is described as "Gold Cream Pangare" -- "Gold Cream" used to be called "Ivory Champagne". http://www.horseworldonline.net/horse/profile/161004

OK, but those 2 have dark eyes! Independent of hair color, which is what we've been considering so far, there is an eye color gene, "Tiger Eye". One copy tends to lighten the eye, making it a paler shade of brown than is usual. Two copies make the eye green. This horse, an Arabian, has full Tiger Eye: http://www.horseworldonline.net/horse/profile/65901

Note that the Tiger Eye horse is "Gold Champagne" -- one Champagne gene on Chestnut, with no other dilutions. Mane is darker than it would be with Cream dilution(s). (Although he's considered a full Arabian, he has a long pedigree with several outcrosses. The Champagne comes from one of his North African Barb ancestors.)

My idea is that Night Raider is Gold Cream (Champagne + Cream) with Tiger Eye. His not-mane-and-tail color is deeper and more uniform than the Belgian's because he doesn't have Mealy/Pangare, and more likely is a solid chestnut rather than Flaxen.

Here is a link to the Horse Colour tutorial in the Help section:
http://www.horseworldonline.net/forum/v ... =13&t=2158

I added links to active horses because the game's portrayals of them are more detailed than the immediately visible examples. (Regrettably I haven't been able to view the larger Photobucket images that the original guide includes -- clicking on the links used to bring up the images, now my browser's protections stop it from loading. Hey, I use those for good reasons.)

This is an example of how complicated those "color" discussions can get!

[Djeraya]

To be honest I think gold champagnes and gold creams generally have pretty light mane and tail. Not sure if flaxen is really visible on a cream/champagne chestnut based horse. I had the impression that legs are bit lighter with additional flaxen but at this moment i can't say for sure.

[Raikit]

He's beautiful!

My idea is that Night Raider is Gold Cream (Champagne + Cream) with Tiger Eye. His not-mane-and-tail color is deeper and more uniform than the Belgian's because he doesn't have Mealy/Pangare, and more likely is a solid chestnut rather than Flaxen.

My issue with gold cream is that neither of his parents had cream (as far as I can tell). His grandfather on his dam's side did but as far as I can tell his dam did no inherit it. She also had a darker gold mane and tail when she was young that lightened later due to her varnish.

His sire looks to me like a regular amber champagne with the silver dapple gene. I went and checked the grandparents there as well and neither of them looked to have cream. (I checked baby pictures as well since it's hard to tell under the varnish.)

I also don't think he has pangare/mealy simply because it's not something I've ever had show up in my herd and I don't see it on dad's side so there's nowhere I can think of that it would have come from. On the other hand I have had flaxen manes and tails show up before. This girl, for instance. (Also this guy.)

To be honest I think gold champagnes and gold creams generally have pretty light mane and tail. Not sure if flaxen is really visible on a cream/champagne chestnut based horse. I had the impression that legs are bit lighter with additional flaxen but at this moment i can't say for sure.

I was thinking the same about gold creams, but the gold champagnes I've had before have generally had darker manes as youngsters and lightened up with age (which isn't the case here): Night Raid's dam, Rockbell, Alphonse. Also, now that you mention it, those three also have darker lower legs than Night Raid does.

[Djeraya]

but the gold champagnes I've had before have generally had darker manes as youngsters and lightened up with age

Hmm ye, you're right,the difference is really visible comparing Night raid to the dam! I think it's likely then that it is flaxen.
I had the impression I saw this kind of light legs also on palominos sometimes, maybe they also had flaxen.

[Scythian]

Looks as if Flaxen can show up when Chestnut does. (The game's Colour Guide doesn't go into its effects when combined with such dilutions as Cream, Champagne, or Pearl.)

Arabians have Flaxen, so this trait could be very thoroughly distributed among light horses by now.

[Raikit]

Night Raid is half Arabian and I know I have flaxen lurking in my herd so it's not a surprise to see it show up. I'd just never seen it with Champagne before.